Philips to close Suffolk factory putting 430 jobs at risk

About 1 Month, 5 Days, 7 Hours, 44 Minutes ago.

Electronics giant Philips is to close its only UK factory, at Glemsford, Suffolk, with the loss of 430 jobs.
The firm said it would close the site, which makes baby bottles, in 2020 and transfer most of its operations to a site in the Netherlands.
It said the move was part of plans to scale down its factory portfolio from 50 sites worldwide to 30.
Boss Frans van Houten has also expressed concerns about the impact of Brexit in recent months.
Neil Mesher, chief executive of Philips UK & Ireland said the decision had been made "after careful consideration" and that the firm would work with the staff affected.
He said the decision to close Glemsford was made towards the end of 2018, but that the UK's exit from the European Union was not a deciding factor.
"Clearly the timing was very difficult, but regardless of the Brexit outcome we would still be making this announcement," he said.
Late last year, Philips chief executive, Frans van Houten told the Independent newspaper that Philips would have to rethink its manufacturing footprint in Britain if the UK were to leave the European customs union.
However, Philips said while Brexit was one of the geopolitical factors that was affecting business conditions for the firm in Europe, it was "one point of many" and was not the driver for the closure of the site.